Two Months at The Farm

It’s been two month since we bought our little house on 12 acres. Here’s where we are today with entirely too many pictures. (click here to see last months recap) I think one of the most helpful things when you are involved in a long, ongoing project is to constantly remind yourself how far you’ve come. It’s what helped us through when we were paying off our six figures worth of debt and it is encouraging to me simply to write this post. It’s an uncomplified way to motivate yourself!

Let’s start with the kitchen. I’m planning on some real kitchen posts in the future, right now, there just isn’t anything all that exciting to talk about.

And this is the part where I talk for 300 words just about the kitchen…

Wes Priddy, Contractor and his team have been working on all of those things that you never see once the kitchen is done. (Local and need a contractor, email me and I’m happy to share our experience.) We (meaning I decided and then took a picture and posted it on instagram and they did all the days and days of work) moved the sink, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher and electrical stuff for two walls. Plus, I’m getting a big huge Thermador Hood (used!) which requires a lot of new duct work, add to that new plumbing, water lines for the fridge and lighting–there was a lot of boring (compared to picking out fabric) work to be done. At this point, the kitchen is about ready to be inspected so we can move on to phase two.

Floors! My boots are standing on what used to be a closet. With a wall to the right and a pantry where the linoleum is.

Chad and my dad took down a few walls worth of wood from our mudroom (the same stuff that’s on our floors–pine from our property made into floors here at the sawmill they use to run on our property.

Here’s some of the wood from the walls sitting on the floor just so we can look at it. It’s going to be a little crazy, there are 2 or 3 different widths of wood and not a whole lot to choose from plus, we are filling in just the kitchen floor–there is already wood on both sides of it. Lucky for me I’m not a perfectionist.

Here’s the back wall of the kitchen before….

Back kitchen wall last month…

And now. Double ductwork for the hood on the back wall that I’ll probably forget to ever turn on. The craigslist Viking range will go under the hood obviously. And look, plumbing for my sink! We bought the double farmhouse sink from Ikea. I taped off the size on the pretend counter so I could get a feel for it. And right now we just have some white wood sitting for the counter, the counter will be about 12 inches deeper (wider?) than the back of the island. It’ll all make sense later. And? I picked white quartz. I’ve always loved quartz. And I’ve yet to regret anything white. And I did a lot of research. Do you have pure white quartz? Do you hate it? Love it? Don’t tell me. Yes, PLEASE TELL ME! Only if it’s good. No really, I want to know….

Also, our dumpster got all filled up and is now gone! I’m kind of sad to see it go.

We went in with mom and dad and rented a tractor because we are still city folk and don’t have a tractor. Also, tractors are expensive. And we have acres of field that has been neglected for over a year and needed to be cut.

Whoops, at least we found the drain for the pond. That was exciting.

We also had a little event. Let’s just say it involved mud, water from the pond, water from a spring we didn’t know about, Mr. Kent and Jake and Mr. Tom and his huge tractor (he used to own this property two owners ago). Oh and it also involved six hours. We are so grateful for Kent and Jake who stopped working on our kitchen to drive a tractor and stand in mud for hours to help rescue a little green rental tractor. And of course for Mr. Tom who saved the day with his big huge tractor.

What joy to see you (and your family) happily abiding in your new home. I have to say that my all-time favorite accessory in your home is the dog. He embraces each moment, he’s neutral (works with any decor, all seasons), and just adds another layer of love to your family and home.

Compiling a list of what we’ve done makes such a difference to me too! It’s so easy to forget where we started. I can hardly believe it’s only been two months since you’ve been there – it’s come so far. Such a pretty white house. I’m especially excited about your kitchen configuration – it’s going to be perfect for having people in.

I have been following your ‘settling down’ phase for a while now… it’s inspiring to see how you are going about it. I shifted at my place a year ago and still haven’t settled completely… there are weeks when I give up… that’s when your blog inspiration comes to my rescue!

Yup! Still totally serious about coming and digging out your roses! We’re just outside Raleigh. It wouldn’t be to much of a drive.
Give me an email and I will come haul them out for you. :) webb dot rachel at gmail dot com

So happy to see more photos as you continue the process of making this house your home. Love, love, love the photos of your guys 4-wheeling, fishing and hanging out around the pond. How wonderful to share some of the adventure with your parents, too. The rental tractor story will be one I’m sure y’all won’t forget any time soon ;)
Thanks so much for sharing. Hugs.

I simply love seeing your progress! We have only 3 acres in Mount Juliet, TN. Wish we had more…(my horse and I need a new friend)!!! Hahaha!! It sure is a bigger job than having a rental!!! God Bless and keep the pics and updates coming!!!

We also have pine floors and Direc-TV! I am more than thankful for both. When we moved in (years and years ago…) we only had a rooftop antennae (still no cable is available here) and our TV got 5 channels on a good day. But we are able to get wi-fi out here, yay! Your pictures are such fun to see – love the progress!

Love the quartz. Love the house. Love the spider. I’m glad someone else takes pictures of spiders. Seems like every time we visited our renovation this summer, I took another picture of a ginormous spider web. :)

Not sure if this is appropriate for comments or not but I have dreamed of starting a small group/craft night/Bible study with couples and now I feel more focused on girls. Would your sister’s book work for something like that if we only met once a month? Is this a crazy idea? Is this the wrong venue to ask? :)

First of all, I LOVE that picture of you and your husband! So happy and content… :) Also, it occurred to me while reading another blog (that I’m not affiliated with in any way) that you would probably love it (and could draw some inspiration from it – not that you really need any though) – its called Home and Harmony – and they’ve redone 2 white farmhouses…you might want to check it out sometime…you know…in all your free time! the addy is www,homeandharmony.blogspot.com Enjoy!

LOVE watching your new place take shape, it is all looking so great. Can’t wait to see your kitchen!! Looking forward to seeing your cabinets (what color? gray? or white?) and appliances (are they all black, your stove SWOON!) with the white quartz.

Just bought a new house and could only select countertops, I picked white quartz too, trying to figure out how to make mine all work…..

Your boys must be so excited to have all that land to explore and roam around on. So happy for your family! I am enjoying watching your journey as you make the improvements one step at a time : ) Lovin’ your blog and this series!!!

First, I have white quartz and LOVE it. Bright, easy easy easy to clean and it CAN NOT BE DESTROYED, no matter how hard my kids try. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Second (and more importantly) congrats on your new home. May it bring you and your family MANY years of joy!

I’ve been following you on IG for a while now, and I am loving the progress on your new house! I just recently started reading your blog as well, and it’s nice to see more pictures than what’s on IG. I live in Matthews, NC so maybe I’ll run into you one of these days :)

they come up every month or so at joss & main–I saw them just last week, I just searched my own chairs for a manufacturer but couldn’t find one, so sorry, I’ll keep my eyes open. When I see them at J&M I always try to put it on Pinterest so others can get them !xo